Perks of Popularity
by Takara Phoenix
Summary: Mortal high school AU - Jason is rich and famous, but he feels like everyone only admires him for being the quarterback and son of the mayor, not for himself. Leo is hiding that he's rich and his father is famous and he has amazing friends. Who seem to like meddling in his love-life. Especially his best friend Percy does. Jason/Leo slash


PJatO || Jaseo || PJatO || Jaseo || PJatO || Perks of Popularity || PJatO || Jaseo || PJatO || Jaseo || PJatO

Title: Perks of Popularity – The Jock and the Mechanic

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; mortal AU

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, fluff, matchmakers Nicercy, shoujo-ai, hetero

Main Pairing: Jason/Leo

Side Pairings: Jason/Piper (cover), Nico/Percy, Reyna/Annabeth, Frank/Hazel, Hephaestus/Esperanza

Percy Jackson Characters: Leo Valdez, Jason Grace, Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Annabeth Chase, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Piper McLean, Thalia Grace, Bianca di Angelo, Nyssa Black, Esperanza Valdez, Festus

Godly Character: Hephaestus

Summary: Jason is the mayor's son, he's rich and famous. He was also the captain of the football team, bringing home a lot of trophies. He was basically a teenage heartthrob. Everybody fawned over him for his fame and name. So he starts dating his best friend Piper, the most beautiful girl at school and captain of the cheerleading squad, but he wants more. He wants someone who loves him for who he is on the inside, not for anything else. Will he ever find that?

Leo on the other hand is the son of a very wealthy owner of a chain of car dealership and mechanic shops. But no one knows that. He dresses down and pretends to be just a boy from the neighborhood, because he hopes that way someone will love him for who he is. So far, he failed at that. He had amazing friends, but all those friends were in happy relationships and he was all alone. It was depressing, really. Until he gets stuck in the gym one night, with the school's golden boy.

Finally the last winner's prize from my last contest! **LucarioLover2488** asked for a Jaseo high school AU with... well, basically what it says above, ya know? *chuckles* I do hope you like it ;)

 **Perks of Popularity**

 _The Jock and the Mechanic_

"Leo! Honey, it's time to wake up!"

Leo groaned and rolled over to hide his face in the pillow. "Five more minutes, mom."

The door to his room opened and a beautiful Latina woman walked over to the bed. Her face showed the lines that laughter and worry had left on her over the course of her life. She always told Leo that he had special worry lines that she called Leos. It always made Leo grin broadly. He knew he was a cause of many worries for his mother, but he also knew that she loved him dearly.

"You already said that five minutes ago and five minutes before that", chided Esperanza amused.

"Mo—om, please?", begged Leo and poked his head out beneath the pillow.

"Stop being so adorable, my boy", chided Esperanza and ruffled his curls. "No, you come with me now, or else your sister and father will eat all the pancakes on their own."

Leo's eyes widened comically and he nearly fell out of the bed, causing his mother to laugh. When he stumbled into the kitchen, his dad and big sister were already wolfing down mom's delicious pancakes. He made a whining sound in the back of his throat and pushed between them.

"No! You're too late! No pancakes for you!", disagreed his sister, elbowing him.

"Mom! Nyssa is being mean to me again!", complained Leo loudly.

"Stop complaining, boy", grunted Hephaestus with a glare, shoving some pancakes onto Leo's plate.

Leo's face brightened at that and he dug right in. His dad was grumpy and not the most social person, he was better with machines than he was with people. The fun thing was that people didn't hold it against him, because he owned the largest chain of car dealerships and car shops in the state. All his life, Leo had seen people sucking up to his dad just for his money and name. Which was the reason why Leo and his sister Nyssa enlisted in high school under their mother's maiden-name and not under their father's name. Hephaestus Black was a brand, not just a name. Everybody wanted a Black Car. So Leo and Nyssa, they weren't the Black-siblings, they were the Valdez-siblings, because neither of them wanted people sucking up to them because of their dad.

"There, enough for all of you", observed Esperanza with a fond smile as she entered the room.

She stepped up to her husband and took the seat next to him. He grunted and pulled her over so he could kiss her cheek. He wasn't good at people, but he managed. It helped that Esperanza found it utterly endearing and adorable. When they had been on their first date, Hephaestus had been at a total loss as to what to do with a _woman_ , but instead of being offended or irritated, Esperanza had laughed. Not laughed at him in a mean way, but because she found his awkwardness so sweet. And that, that was what Leo wanted too. Someone who loved him, who found his weirdness sweet and not annoying, who loved Leo, not Leo Black. Someday, he would find that. Someday.

"Meow!"

Leo laughed softly and sneaked a piece of pancake down to his begging cat. The cat's name was Festus and he was totally awesome. Leo had found him in the woods one day and taken care of him until the little thing was fully healed again. Ever since, Festus didn't leave his side. And this kind of loyalty was what he wanted. Someone who completely loved him, just because he was awesome.

"Stop feeding the cat mom's pancakes!", protested Nyssa with a pout.

"Festus is awesome. He deserves only the best. Right, boy?", huffed Leo and stuck his tongue out.

Festus meowed in agreement and pushed his head against Leo's leg. Leo really loved his family. They were weird and sometimes awkward, but they were amazing and happy. It also helped that due to his father's job, Leo could tinker on cars as often as he wanted. He earned some extra pocket-money by working at his dad's closest car shop, the one he actually worked at, where he had his office and all. Leo was a lot like his dad, he loved working with cars and machines more than working with people. He was always very awkward and not really sure how to handle people.

Which was probably why he only had six friends. Well, 'only' was subjective. To his friends, it was only. They always wanted him to socialize more and make more friends. He found six friends to be an amazing number, really. That aside, they were great friends, the best friends, so Leo was happy.

His oldest friend was Hazel Levesque, the ex-girlfriend of his cousin Sammy. They had first met in a summer camp that Leo, Nyssa and Sammy had attended together. But even after breaking up with Sammy, Hazel still remained friends with Leo. For a long time, they only had contact via e-mails and skype, until they finally met each other again in high school, when Hazel's mother had been sent to a mental hospital and she moved in with her uncle Hades.

There was his number one very best friend – Percy Jackson. Percy Jackson was awesome. He was a jock and since middle school, Leo liked to steer clear of jocks. But he was totally different. The downside of pretending to be a no-name boy was that bullies liked to pick on the scrawny, hyperactive kid. When he entered high school, he feared the swimmer would pick on him too, but instead, Percy stood up against the bullies and broke Bryce Lawrence's nose to protect Leo. Apparently, Percy had been bullied in elementary and middle school, so now that he was one of the popular kids, he liked to stand up for others. Percy was kind of Leo's role-model, really.

Shortly after befriending Percy, Leo had met Percy's childhood friend Annabeth. Those two were attached by the hip, so it was inevitable to befriend Annabeth if one was to be friends with Percy. Annabeth was cool, she was the most brilliant person Leo had ever met and even though she didn't really understand the mechanical part, she did understand the physics and math. They could spend hours talking about designs too, which was the part that Percy just droned out then.

Not that Percy was bored when Leo and Annabeth talked science, because for quite a while now, Percy had found himself the perfect distraction. Said distraction was the definition of tall, dark and handsome. An Italian-born boy from a rich family. His name was Nico di Angelo and his family and Leo's family had been close for years now, due to Hades di Angelo being Hephaestus' attorney. Which was how Annabeth and Percy had learned about Leo's secret, because Nico and Leo had often met on official banquets and such. Leo had never been so afraid in his life, fearful that his friends would reject him or hate him for lying. They didn't. They understood why he had lied, though they were hurt that it had taken him so long to admit the truth.

The cute and bothersome thing was how Nico had entered their little circle of friends though. Percy and Annabeth were best friends, the gay guy and the lesbian. So were Nico and Reyna. One night on a gay party, the two sets of best friends had met and hit it off instantly. Annabeth and Reyna were the definition of a power-couple and Nico and Percy were borderline sickeningly cute.

Which was how Reyna had joined their group too. Reyna and Nico were both quite kick-ass. They were both more on the goth-side of things, very dark and intimidating. But once someone got to know them, they'd see just how amazing they both were. Especially when they were together with their respective partners. Leo loved seeing the two couples together, they were just so perfect for each other, so happy with each other. Leo adored them, really.

The last one to enter their circle of friends had been Frank, who had newly transferred to their school after moving here from Canada. The big guy had intimidated Leo at first, but he was actually a real sweetheart. He had to, because otherwise, there would be no way in hell either Leo or Nico would allow him to date Hazel. Nico was wildly protective of his little cousin, especially after her mother had been emitted to a mental hospital. Hades' younger brother Pluto had already died years ago, so Hades and his family were all Hazel had left now.

That was it. Those were all the people in Leo's life who mattered. His mom, dad, big sister Nyssa, his kitten Festus and his friends Percy, Nico, Hazel, Frank, Annabeth and Reyna. What more did he need, really? He had a loving family, a pet that adored him and loyal, amazing friends. The problem was that he was surrounded by all those happy and perfect couples – from his parents to his friends – and it made him long for that too. For someone to look at him as loyally as Frank did to Hazel, someone carrying him on his hands like Nico did with Percy, someone who would follow his every whim even though they may not share his interests fully like Reyna did for Annabeth, someone who would put up with his weird and awkward like his mother did with his father.

/break\

Not even a whole block away was a boy who was entirely not as happy as Leo, who was actually quite the opposite of Leo, yet still so similar. His name was Jason Grace, son of Mayor Zeus Grace. And just like Leo, his father too was known throughout the city, well, probably also the state. He was involved in politics beyond their city's limits, after all. But things had started out differently for Jason. Jason and his older sister Thalia weren't Zeus' legitimate children, they had been born into an affair. Their mother just couldn't really take it well when Zeus didn't want to leave his wife Hera for her. She drank, a lot. Until, when Jason had been seven and Thalia had been nine. She drank again, this time however she was behind the wheel. And she never made it back home.

It was a bit like a bad movie or some twisted fairy tale. One day, they were in the bad end of the city, the next day they moved into a giant villa with a pool to live with their father and new stepmother. It had been all over the news – oh, how the family pulled together. Somehow Zeus' PR actually managed to turn Zeus' affair and illegitimate children into a success story.

From being poor and scared of crossing the street alone to having a butler and driver with a limo. It had been overwhelming and at first, Jason had really enjoyed it. Having the money to buy whatever they wanted, never worrying about where food would come from. Hera had been cold at first – and by now, Jason understood, because he couldn't picture how hard it must be to accept another woman's children in your house after being horned by your husband – but over the years, she warmed up to them. What had started out as an act for the media turned into a real family, even though they were still distant and a bit frosty at times; both Hera and Zeus, that is.

Jason soaked in the awe and fame at first. He absorbed it like a sponge, really. And he did everything to live up to the name whispered by others. He trained hard and became the star and captain of the football team. He had a lot of peers, but no true friends. Everyone was only interested in him when he scored points on the field, when he looked hot and sweaty, when he was the poster boy of the school, when he was the mayor's son, when his father's name could get them in somewhere, when Jason's family's money could buy them something. But he soon realized that no one truly made an effort to get to know _him_ , to scratch deeper than just Jason Grace, Golden Boy.

There were only two people who cared for him for who he was and one of them was his big sister Thalia. But there was just one problem. As much as the siblings loved each other, they were also the only reminder each had of the abuse and suffering they had endured as children and in an effort to put all of the bad memories behind themselves, Thalia and Jason didn't spend much time together. They still loved each other very much and would always be there for each other though.

The other person was Piper McLean. Her dad was a very famous actor who had played the male lead in one of the few hit movies their mother had been part of. Tristan and Beryl had hit it off and been dating for a little while, but it hadn't been meant to last. Which was probably for the best for Tristan, mused Jason. Still, he and his nearly-stepsister remained close. She was the only true friend Jason had, the only one he trusted with absolutely everything.

She was the only person who knew Jason's biggest secret. That he was gay. His father was such a person of importance, he was afraid what a gay son would do to the very conservative politician if that got out. He was also very afraid on his own account, because he was the star jock and he had seen the way some 'fairies' were harassed in the locker room. He couldn't do that. He was loved now, he didn't want to lose that. Even though it wasn't real love, he knew it wasn't real, but it was still good. It was better to have people look at him with admiration than disgust.

And Piper, being that brilliant and amazing best friend possible, became his girlfriend. Because who would suspect the captain of the football team to be gay while he was dating the captain of the cheerleading squad? Both were in the 'high society' of high school, since he was the son of the mayor and she was the daughter of _the_ big actor of nowadays movies. It also helped Piper, who wasn't really interested in dating at the moment, but since her dad was famous and she was beautiful, guys were lining up for dates. That stopped when she started dating the jock.

Taking the fancy toast from their cook, he walked out to the limo. He saw his parents maybe once a week. They had butlers, maidens, chauffeurs. No need for mom and dad to do anything. Heaving a sigh, he sat down in the limo next to Thalia. His sister had her nose buried in a notebook.

"Hey. What are you up to today?", asked Jason casually, looking out the window.

"Archery practice with the girls", replied Thalia without looking up. "You?"

"Got an appointment for my bike after school", shrugged Jason.

Jason hummed noncommittally, staring out the window with longing. Sometimes he wished they'd still be in their crappy apartment when Jason and Thalia only had each other and would talk about absolutely everything. Now it was just smalltalk on the way to school. Then he remembered the abuse and knew that a bit of frost was probably better. Probably. He just... He missed the love. He missed this feeling of being loved unconditionally. Sure, Thalia still loved him and he loved her and he had Piper, who truly was just amazing, but... it felt like so little. Was it greedy to want more? Wanting his sister to be the awesome big sister again? Wanting his best friend to go back to just being that awesome best friend again instead of a fake girlfriend? Wanting a cute boyfriend, who'd love him entirely for who he was on the inside, not just for his looks or name?

/break\

"Wanna go to a party with us tonight, little lion?", asked Percy softly.

Leo blinked and looked up from where he was doodling plans for some kind of machine he _really_ wanted to build. Percy was next to him, on Nico's lap. Being disgustingly cute again. The Italian had one arm around Percy's waist, resting on his smaller back, the other tangled in Percy's hair. Nico had this rather weird obsession with both; Percy's lower back and Percy's hair. Then again, Leo suspected that Nico had a weird obsession with generally everything involving Percy.

"To watch you two suck faces for two hours before you disappear to a broom closet?", asked Leo.

"That happened _once_!", yelped Percy and blushed. "Okay, maybe twice... Trice at max! But, oh, come on. Please? It'll be awesome. And I mean, how else do you expect to find a boyfriend if not by, you know, going out and meeting people – preferably male, gay and our age?"

"He makes a good point, _Black_ ", grunted Reyna, always laying emphasis on the 'fake' last name.

"I'm teaming up with Percy on this too", agreed Annabeth, who was laying next to Leo to help him with his doodle while resting her feet in Reyna's lap. "Your ideal partner will not just magically drop out of the sky and land at your feet, you know that, right?"

"...That would be so cool", whispered Percy with a thoughtful frown.

"Dork", muttered Nico affectionately and kissed Percy's temple.

"Whose party would it be anyway?", asked Leo, so short of admitting defeat.

"It's Ally's birthday and Ethan planned this whole big party for him", replied Nico. "You know Alabaster has a weak spot for you, I'm sure he'd be happy if you'd come."

"I'll think about it, okay?", sighed Leo and collapsed backward on the grass. "I dunno if I have time. Dad had something scribbled in the calender, if I'm not wrong. I'll call you about it, okay?"

Percy hummed, pleased by the not-no, and snuggled up closer to Nico. Leo rolled his eyes at that. He knew Percy only had good intentions. He didn't like for Leo to feel like the 'seventh wheel' among them. He wanted for Leo to find a nice boyfriend too. Too bad all the nice gay guys Nico and Percy knew in the community were already very much in love – Alabaster and Ethan, Octavian and Luke, Will and Jake. It was like playing Gay Arch and all Leo did was be Noah. Not that he didn't still love them. Nico and his connections had been a great help back when Leo had still been unsure about who he was and who he wanted to be. Meeting his group of friends from the gay community had been a lot of help easing Leo's nerves about being gay and coming out.

/break\

Jason mainly played football because it kind of felt like the right thing to fall into. After all, he was the big shot golden boy. And the golden boy always was the quarterback, wasn't he? There was only one thing he _truly_ loved was riding his bike. It was a yellow Ducati and it was his baby. On the side of it was a lightning-emblem, a graffiti-style writing saying _Argo II_. It hadn't even been his idea, sadly enough. No, his trusted mechanic had come up with that. A totally dumb smile spread over his lips at the thought. His mechanic was a boy called Leo, who was his own age. He worked at one of the famous Black Car Shops and was incredibly talented with his hands – on machines. With his hands on machines. Bad Jason, don't think about what else those talented hands could do.

A bright blush lit up Jason's face as he continued his way to the shop. Leo Valdez was a force to be reckoned with. The Latino was probably a head smaller than Jason, but he made up for that by being the most energetic person Jason could ever picture. He had those wild, large curls that always bounced around when Leo flittered around the shop, that caramel skin that Jason wanted to taste _so bad_ and those large almond-eyes that always looked so innocent and sparkly and amazing. Jason had first met Leo when his bike had died down about half a year ago. And after that, Jason started to notice the Latino. They apparently shared a couple of classes, but due to Jason always being surrounded by his peers, he never noticed the cute boy in the back of the class.

So Jason had it bad. Really, really bad. But that was not his fault. It was Leo's, for being way too cute. There was just no way Leo would be gay, or going for Jason. Mechanics weren't gay, right? But then again, neither were quarterbacks, right? It was all very confusing. If he was being honest, he had no idea how being gay even worked. He knew he was attracted to guys and not girls, but that was about all the knowledge he had. So even on the off-chance that Leo was gay, he certainly wouldn't want to be with a closet case like Jason. Though if Jason would have his own Leo, he may perhaps have the courage to come out, because having Leo? That was something he'd want to show off. Go on dates together, hold hands, run up to him and kiss him after Jason won a game. And shower him with gifts. All his parents' money could finally be used for something good. He would take Leo to expensive restaurants and places and would shower him with gifts. After all, the Latino had to _work_ for his money, so he probably saved it up for something special and didn't buy all the little things he wanted – but he was so cute, he deserved all the little things, so Jason wanted to be the one to give him exactly those. Leo's eyes could sparkle in that cute way, they surely would when he got a sweet little gift from his boyfriend. Jason liked that thought. A lot.

"Hey, Leo", greeted Jason with a half-grin as he pushed his bike into the shop.

"Hello, Jason", replied the Latino with his ever-present a thousand watt smile.

What Jason didn't know was that Leo's smile was not always a thousand watt. He had a special smile just for Jason, because seeing the handsome jock always made him happy. The truth was, Leo has had the biggest crush possible on the quarterback, ever since Nyssa had first dragged him to a game. Back then, Jason had only been a half-back and Nyssa had dragged him along because she was close friends to the quarterback Charles Beckendorf, who had graduated the following year and leaving his position to Jason. So, the first time Leo had drooled over Jason, Jason had been the half-back and ever since he was the quarterback, Leo didn't miss a single game. Not that Jason ever noticed him. How should he? Leo was just one of the many, many bystanders who chanted his name. And wasn't that it? That was why Leo was Leo Valdez and not Leo Black. So he'd know who cared about him for who he was and not for his name. And Jason never noticed him. Not in class, where Leo would stare at him with dreamy eyes, not during the games, where Leo would cheer loudly for him. Then again, why should the star player be interested in him? He was straight, had a beautiful and amazing girlfriend. He didn't need a guy, didn't need Leo.

But then Jason had come to the shop half a year ago with the hottest bike ever. Being his overly enthusiastic self, Leo babbled on about the gorgeous bike and that had been their first conversation. After Leo suggested to pretty it up with some lightning motifs, Jason decided to only trust Leo with his bike, which made Leo happy and proud at the same time. Leo also loved the bike a lot.

"Nearly forgot you were coming in today", grinned Leo sheepishly.

"Why? Had other plans?", asked Jason as he casually leaned against a workbench and watched Leo.

"Actually, kinda", shrugged Leo while tinkering on the bike. "My best friend wanted to drag me to a party. He's... very adamant on hooking me up. It's like he was Cupid in his last life. But then again, couples do that, huh? Find that single guy in their group and prey on him. Because when they were in happy relationships, everybody should be in a happy relationship!"

"You don't exactly sound mad about it though", inquired Jason a bit displeased.

"Well, that's Perce for you. He only has the best intentions, so it's hard to be mad", shrugged Leo.

/break\

"Ha—atschu!" Percy wiggled his nose irritated.

"You're not getting sick, are you?", asked Nico and looked up from where he was tracing Percy's sixpack with his tongue. "Because then we'll stop this and wrap you up in blankets."

"I am so not sick", protested Percy hastily. "I guess it's just a little chilly. Outside, in the garden, half naked. That has nothing to do with getting sick."

"Well, all the rooms were already... otherwise occupied", shrugged Nico, amused grin on his face.

"I wish Leo would have come", sighed Percy with a pout. "There are so many hot guys here."

"...I'll just pretend that I didn't hear that", grunted Nico with a jealous glare.

"So many hot guys, yet the hottest of them all is kneeling between my legs", chimed Percy with a grin and patted Nico's curls. "I mean, come on, Leo could easily find a guy here! Right?"

"I don't think you should meddle with his love-life", sighed Nico, nibbling on Percy's hipbone.

"I disagree", huffed Percy, arching his back some. "Leo is my best guy-friend and I... You make me so happy, Nick. And I want Leo to be as happy, so if I snatched the best guy available away, I see it as my responsibility to track down the second best guy for Leo, right?"

"You do know how to flatter a guy", chuckled Nico fondly and kissed the space between Percy's belly-button and his crotch. "Okay. Fine. I will help you finding the second best guy. I suppose the faster we get Leo together with someone, the sooner I'll get your full attention again."

"You're such a good boyfriend", grinned Percy and made kissy-motions.

"Be cheeky and I don't blow you", warned Nico, rolling his eyes.

/break\

Leo loved hanging out at the di Angelos. Then again, so did everyone. Sure, Leo's family was rich too, but somehow everyone was a little uncomfortable around Hephaestus. And since both Nico and Hazel were at home there, the friends often met up there. Leo was laying sprawled out on the couch, his head in Hazel's lap. His oldest friend loved playing with Leo's curls, it was kind of a weird obsession of hers. Then again, she always called him a cute puppy, so there was that. She probably saw him as the puppy she never got. Leo himself was playing with Percy's hair, braiding it a little as the green-eyed jock ways laying on Leo's stomach. All three of them were watching Nico and Frank as the two dueled each other on the big screen. They were taking turns, loser had to switch with one of the waiting three on the couch. Not that Leo minded. He had always been a very physical person, used to love sneaking into his parents' bed in the morning for cuddles, so he really enjoyed just lounging here together with Hazel and Percy and getting some cuddles.

"You really missed out on the party on Friday", pointed Percy out, turning his head enough to glare on Leo (not that it was effective. If Leo was a puppy, Percy was a kitten. And angry kittens weren't really intimidating). "Mike Kahale asked about you. You know, he's _really_ handsome."

"And very sweet", added Hazel, who shared a lot of classes with Mike. "He's so kind."

"And strong", added Frank after being elbowed by Nico. "I mean, we totally wouldn't have won that last game if not for him. Even Jason said so. Mike's a great team-player."

"Cecil used to date him, says Mike's a real gentleman", supplied Nico casually.

Leo rolled his eyes. They were the worst actors ever. This was _so_ rehearsed, it was embarrassing.

"If you'd stop trying to find dates for me, that would be great", sighed Leo annoyed. "Last time-"

"Was totally not our fault!", exclaimed Percy before Leo could continue. "I mean, it was actually kind of a compliment, wasn't it? _Both_ Stolls wanted to get together with you..."

"Yeah, I felt really special when they tricked me and switched places every twenty minutes during the date", muttered Leo and rolled his eyes. "It sucked, okay? I don't want a relationship that even starts out with a lie! I mean, how was I supposed to trust either then?"

"...Says the one who lies about his name, family and heritage", muttered Nico beneath his breath.

Leo glared viciously at the back of Nico's head, but he didn't say anything. He knew Nico was right, but it was just too hard otherwise. Once he had tried it, when they went to a party together. Where no one had paid him much mind, after he introduced himself, he suddenly had people fawning over him. He did not want that. He wanted someone who was interested in him first of all.

"Well, what's your type, little lion?", asked Percy with a frown. "Come on, please? Give me at least that, so I know what I have to hunt for in a boy! Please?"

And the kitten eyes of doom were used. Urgh. No one was immune to those, Leo included. Heaving a sigh, he turned to look back at the screen instead of the begging kitten laying on his stomach.

"I... I like blondes. Tall blondes, especially with blue eyes", admitted Leo reluctantly and blushed brightly. "You remember the crush I had on Octavian at first."

"Ah. So, tall, blonde, blue-eyed?", supplied Nico thoughtful. "I do remember you fiercely making out with Will last Halloween, before he and Jake got together."

"Which we will _never_ mention to Jake", stammered Leo hastily. "He'd never forgive me."

"Can't be that hard to find you a handsome blonde", declared Percy with an optimistic grin.

Leo snorted and rolled his eyes. There was only one handsome blonde he wanted.

/break\

Percy hated school projects, especially when they couldn't even chose the groups themselves. Well, he was probably lucky with the ones he got stuck with, but still. Nyssa Black, Bianca di Angelo and Thalia Grace. Figured he'd get paired up with his class' high society. The three rich kids. At least that meant awesome food and enough space to work. He hated when he had to host a study session. It was just too cramped in their small apartment and – not that he would ever admit it aloud, especially not to his always-worrying friends – some days, it was hard enough to get enough food for the three of them and their dog on the table, much less hungry teenaged house-guests. But both Percy and his little brother Tyson ate a ton and their mom Sally was the only one with the regular income. Percy insisted on getting a job, but his mom wouldn't allow it, said he should focus on his studies so he'd one day get a proper job so he would never have the same worries as they had now. It was why he loved Leo so much. The boy often came visiting and when he did, he'd bring over food from the Thai restaurant around the corner, or pizza from Percy's second favorite Italian (his first favorite would always be Nico). He never said it aloud and it never felt like pity or charity, but they both knew that it was Leo trying to help the Jacksons out. Which was all the more reason why he wanted to help Leo now, help make the Latino happy. There weren't many people as innocent and good as Leo, so he deserved total happiness and someone to love him.

"Ah, it's so good to have you guys over!", exclaimed Thalia as she hugged Bianca.

Percy grinned as he was hugged next. He had been friends with Thalia, Luke and Annabeth for years now. Nyssa whistled impressed as she trailed after them. Thalia led the way to the kitchen. Food first, project later. And Percy's stomach more than agreed with that.

"Uhm... Hello."

Percy frowned surprised and the three girls behind him also paused. He recognized the blonde – the tall, blue-eyed, handsome blond, supplied a voice that sounded like Leo. Jason Grace, the school's quarterback. Oh. Right. Grace. Thalia and Jason were siblings. He kept forgetting that, because he didn't have anything to do with the blonde boy. But... he was in Leo's class, wasn't he. Oh. A Cheshire grin spread over his lips as he realized something. Leo always went to all football games of their school, even though he usually hated sport and sports-events. And what a coincident that this boy from Leo's class was exactly Leo's type. Percy was pretty sure he just found Leo's crush. There had to be a crush. He kept pushing the set-up because he knew Leo was hiding that he had feelings for someone. He hoped his best friend would snap at one point and admit to it. The Cheshire grin turned into a shark-like grin as he set his goal: Finding out if Jason Grace was a) interested in Leo and b) worthy of Leo. Best friend things like that.

"What are you doing in here, little brother?", asked Thalia with a frown.

"...Cooking?", supplied Jason, pointing at the pans on the stove.

Percy and Bianca exchanged a look and stepped up before laughing and shaking their heads. "No. That's not cooking, that's burning food. Please, for the sake of our health, step back."

Bianca ushered them all out of the way so she could cook. Percy worshiped the di Angelos' cooking skills. It was to die for. The other four obediently sat down at the table, Jason looking a little lost. Then again, _both_ Graces looked a bit lost. Percy frowned at that. He was used to loving sibling-relationships. This however didn't look anything like it. It looked like they didn't know what to do with one another. Leaning back, Percy decided to observe the two Graces.

"So... your bike's fixed again?", asked Thalia after a while of silence.

"Yes. Yeah", nodded Jason slowly. "Leo's the best. He always takes good care of my baby."

The shark-like look returned to Percy's face. When he put his mind to something, he was brilliant at it. And right now, he was very concentrated on Jason, so the very faint blush didn't go unnoticed by Percy. Others may not see it with Jason's tanned skin, but Percy was especially looking for it.

"Yeah, my brother is the best when it comes to anything with an engine", agreed Nyssa.

"B—Brother?", asked Jason before clearing his throat. "So you're his sister?"

"That is, in general, the definition of being siblings, yes", confirmed Nyssa, raising one eyebrow.

"Speaking of your brother...", started Percy, sounding completely casual as he turned to the Latina. "Where was he last Friday? Nick and me were driving all the way out to Ally's birthday party, but he totally ditched us. Didn't even give us a proper reason. Some family emergency?"

"Naw. A job. He had something scribbled down on his calender", shrugged Nyssa in reply.

Percy nodded and heaved an over-exaggerated sigh. "That is really too bad. I mean, I found the _perfect_ possible _boyfriend_ for Leo. Mike seems really, really into him, you know?"

Wow, he was really bad at being subtle. Then again, apparently Jason was really oblivious to that, so that was a good thing. Percy hid a smile behind his hand as he saw the surprised look on Jason's face that turned into a quite displeased look. So Jason was jealous? That was _good_.

"Mike, huh?", inquired Bianca thoughtful. "Oh. That's Gwen's little brother, isn't he? He's sweet."

"That's what everyone says about him", chuckled Thalia amused. "Well, I guess your little brother can't go wrong with that, right? A sweet guy is always good."

Percy's smile turned even more pleased when he saw just how devastated Jason looked. He even felt sorry for the guy. Hopping off his chair, he decided to help Bianca with the cooking instead of obsessively staring at Jason. Besides, he was, next to the di Angelos, the only one who could cook.

"Too bad he doesn't seem very interested", sighed Percy disappointed.

"Is my brother an idiot?", inquired Nyssa stunned. "I mean, Mike's handsome, tall, sweet, his family owns a restaurant in _Hawaii_. How could you say no to Hawaii? What's his problem?"

"He prefers blondes", shrugged Percy lightly. "Not that I'd understand. I prefer myself a tall, dark, handsome and exotic over the boring blonde ones. No offense, blondie."

Jason made a strangled sound in the back of his throat, which was actually pretty cute and made Percy actually a member of Team Jason. Good looking and adorable. Good combination for Leo.

/break\

If things continued like this, Nico was going to get a permanent association between getting laid and Leo's love-life. He wished Percy would stop talking about Leo while they were making out.

"Babe, I love how dedicated you are to helping your friends, but I'm going to name my blue balls 'Leo' if this continues", sighed Nico, glaring up at his lover. "Please, just... spill it, okay?"

Percy giggled sheepishly and adjusted how he sat straddling Nico's lap. They were in their hiding spot, the storage room of the school's gym. Since he was the captain of one of the sport teams, he was one of the handful of people who had a key and he also had the schedule when teams or classes needed the gym. Which meant he knew when this place was empty. Giving Nico the most seductive smile possible, Percy leaned down and trailed kisses along Nico's neck.

"I suspect that Leo has a crush on Jason Grace and when I was over at the Graces last week, I noticed that Jason seems to return the feelings", explained Percy between kisses. "Been subtly questioning Leo over the past week and I'm like 98% sure that Leo is actually in love with him."

"That sounds... like you found the solution. So _why_ is Leo's love-life cock-blocking me yet again?", sighed Nico, massaging his temples."Please, tell me how to get him out of the way here."

Percy laughed softly at that, placing a kiss on Nico's lips. "I need your help. I have _the_ perfect idea how to get them together. This here. The storage room. I'll lure Jason here, since we're both captains of the two most successful teams of the school. But then I need someone to lure Leo here and since you're the one I trust most – and Annabeth has been forbidden to meddle by Reyna, because she's boring like that – so I want your help. Pretty, pretty, _pretty_ please?"

Nico raised one eyebrow, staring his boyfriend up and down. "If you do _the thing_."

Percy's eyes widened and his cheeks turned dark-red. "B—But, uh, I mean, last time, on your birthday that is, we kinda ruined the last one so I wouldn't even, I mean, I couldn't-"

Nico smirked wickedly at his lover. He had been anticipated this part for months now. He knew Percy's scheming mind. At one point, Percy would want to actively meddle and he would inquire Nico's help and Nico _knew_ his lover would do absolutely everything to have him agree.

"I may have a pretty blue pair with lace laying around at home...", offered Nico casually.

"You just so happen to have panties laying aro—Oh, you cheeky bastard", sighed Percy, resting his forehead against Nico's chest. "You've been scheming too, haven't you?"

"What can I say? We're meant to be", chuckled Nico, wrapping his arms around Percy's waist. "Though I have to admit, I bought the panties for you to wear on Valentine's. But if you want my help, well, you can guess the conditions. I'll find something else pretty for you for Valentine's."

/break\

Jason was spending post-training-time with Piper, as they always did. He knew Piper hated being a cheerleader, she only did it because it was expected of her. She didn't really take it serious, hadn't at first at least. She had just signed up because it was _easy_. She was athletic and had a talent for dancing. The main reason however had been this girl – Drew Tanaka – who she edged on right from the very first day of school. So when Piper overheard that Drew's goal was to become the cheerleading captain once Silena Beauregard graduated. So Piper joined the cheerleaders, to spite the girl who had publicly humiliated her on her first day at school. When Silena and Luke had graduated, Jason became captain of the football team and Piper became captain of the cheerleaders. It had been a long-term revenge plan and it had taught Jason one thing; do not ever piss off Piper McLean. Now, since the two of them were only mildly happy in their positions – though they did enjoy the exercise and they also liked (most) their teammates – they often just laid around behind the bleachers to relax. It helped, that one time a day they were really with that one person who understood them and who they trusted with everything.

"So, what did you tweak on your bike this time to have a reason and go see Valdez?", teased Piper.

They were curled together, resting their heads on each other's sides comfortably. "Had a flat tire. Was totally not my fault. I swear, this one was actually an accident!"

"It's your fourth flat tire this year", pointed Piper out, amused smile on her lips.

"Well, things... happen", shrugged Jason and stuck his tongue out at her.

"It's the end of January", added Piper and rolled her eyes, hitting him upside the head. "You really like him a lot, don't you? Have you... ever thought about... telling him?"

"No! Are you insane?!", hissed Jason wide-eyed. "What if he's straight? He'll never talk to me again! And what about if he... if he... decides to tell others?! My father would _kill_ me!"

"The last one may be true, but... do you _truly_ think Leo would do that?", huffed Piper.

"...No", admitted Jason and bit his lips, cheeks dark red. "There's nothing evil about Leo. He's just... pure, unbound happiness and joy and everything good. I mean, when I'm over at his garage, it's kinda like being with you. I feel like I can talk with him about everything. And if I make him laugh with something I say, it's like... like the whole room lights up and stuff..."

"Christ, I take it back. You don't like him. You're completely in love with him", whispered Piper stunned, blinking slowly. "You are beyond redemption... You're head over heels for him."

Jason did not see a point in replying to that. Partly because he was way too busy blushing.

"Jason! There's the blonde I've been looking for!"

He was even glad for the interruption by Percy. Frowning, he looked up. Something was wrong with Percy, the way he was walking was odd. Had he pulled a muscle during training?

"Yeah, Jackson?", asked Jason reluctantly.

They never interacted with each other. In fact, that semi-conversation at Jason's house two weeks ago had probably been the first words they had ever exchanged. Not that he minded talking to Percy. He had admired the other for a while now. Percy was from the bad end of town and had come here on a sport scholarship for swimming, but he never let it get to him. That he wasn't one of the rich kids. He just pushed until there was space for him and Jason admired that. He was pretty sure Percy had far more courage than Jason and if Percy would be in a situation like Jason was right now – madly in love with a boy – he'd just ask the other out and not give a damn.

"Well, I just... uh...", grunted Percy and blushed, shifting a little.

"Are you alright?", asked Jason concerned. "You... uh... keep shifting like that?"

Percy heaved a deep breath and glowered at Jason. "Believe me, you'd have a hard time walking too if you had laced panties riding up your creek. It really is not that much fun."

"TMI. But... interesting TMI", pointed Piper out, raising both eyebrows.

"Yes. So, well, that was an awkward intro", muttered Percy embarrassed. "Anyway, so you can probably figure out, I have a very important date with my boyfriend. But coach asked me to clean up the storage room in the gym. It's just... I really don't wanna keep Nico waiting."

Jason stared wide-eyed. So he had been right after all. If Percy saw a boy he liked, he took him. Jason tried not to think too hard about the panties-situation though. He still blushed brightly.

"Wait. Nico? Di Angelo?", asked Piper surprised, sitting up. "I thought he generally hated... people. How did you even have the courage to ask him out? He frightens everyone away."

"That's the other people's problem", shrugged Percy with a frown. "Nico only scares ignorant idiots away. To those he loves, he's tame and sweet. People are just scared of him because they don't know him. If you'd know him, you'd like him too. He's amazing. Then again, I love him, so I'm biased."

Jason had to grin a little as he saw the look on Percy's face when he talked about Nico. Jason wanted this. He wanted someone to look at him the way Percy looked when talking about Nico. Someone who loved him the way Percy apparently loved Nico. With that thought in mind, how could Jason possibly deny Percy the favor that stood between Percy and a date with his boyfriend.

"Sure", shrugged Jason with a small grin. "I don't have plans for the evening anyway."

"Wonderful! You're awesome, Grace", grinned Percy. "Anyway, gotta run. Bye!"

And with that, Percy was gone. Jason snorted amused and got up. Piper heaved a sigh and also stood. This was the end of their evening then, apparently. Waving Piper off, Jason went to the gym.

/break\

Leo all the while was in the library, together with Frank, Hazel, Annabeth and Reyna. Annabeth, Reyna and Hazel had offered to help Leo and Frank out with a couple of subjects. Leo was incredibly grateful for that. Or he had been, when they had still been studying. Now that their brains were steaming, his friends had paired up again. Hazel and Frank were holding hands and occasionally kissing each other's cheeks in that cutesy shy way they always did when in public. Their lesbian friends had far less qualms about PDA, with Annabeth sitting on Reyna's lap, head thrown back to rest against Reyna's shoulder. And Leo? Leo was alone. Again. Of course. Like always. Sighing, he kept doodling new designs for the Argo II.

"Hello, guys."

Leo blinked and looked up at Nico, who had a bit of a troubled expression on his face as he laid eyes on Leo (not that he wasn't familiar with that. Nico often looked troubled when faced with the hyperactive Latino). "Uhm... did I accidentally blow something up again, or what?"

Nico snorted in a nearly fond way at that, shaking his head. "No. I just could use your help, actually. You see, I have this date with Percy, long planned and all, but now coach asked Percy to clean out the storage room in the gym and... that'd mean our reservation would go to waste. So I hoped you could maybe help out and do it? We'd really owe you one."

"Of course I'll help you out", grinned Leo, always the good friend. "It's just... a lot of work, huh?"

"No worries, we can help you", offered Annabeth as she looked at the Latino.

"But... didn't you say something about family night and bringing Reyna today?", interrupted Nico, staring more than intensely and a little desperately at the blonde. "Like, you need to go now."

Annabeth was confused for a second before she caught on that Nico was up to _something_. "Oh. Uh, right. Sure, totally forgot that. Yeah, need to be home for dinner. Come on, Rey."

Reyna raised one eyebrow as she passed her best friend, mouthing 'explain later' as the girls left. While Leo seemed blissfully oblivious to what just happened, Hazel caught on instantly. A shark-like smirk spread over her lips as she saw an opportunity arise for her. Taking Frank's hand, she motioned for her boyfriend to get up. The Canadian looked confused, but obeyed.

"Right. You had that table booked for so long for our _double date_. At that fancy Italian restaurant Percy and I have been talking about, wasn't that it, dear cousin?", asked Hazel slyly.

Nico cringed inwardly. Not how he had planned to spend this Friday evening, which meant that once they'd return home, Percy owed him so much more than just the panties. Mh, maybe taking his cousin and her boyfriend along to dinner would actually pay out in his favor then.

"Yes, our double-date", confirmed Nico with a smirk, nodding before turning back to Leo. "I'm sorry, it seems you'd be on your own, but would you do it? Please? It means so much to Percy..."

"Of course", nodded Leo hastily. "I mean, I don't have any plans anyway..."

Frank, still a bit confused, bid his goodbye to the Latino and followed the two cousins out of the library, leaving Leo on his own. Heaving a sigh, Leo gathered his things up and left. He loved Percy a lot, so of course he would help out if it meant Percy would be getting laid. After all, the Latino wasn't a total idiot. He had noticed Percy shifting and wiggling around all day, blushing and glaring whenever he looked at Nico. It wasn't the sore kind of shifting and wiggling, but the 'Nico made me wear panties again, god I hate those puppy-eyes!' kind of shifting and wiggling. And maybe Leo and Percy shared too much if Leo could actually recognize what Percy was wearing beneath his clothes just by looking at the way the other behaved. Anyway, Leo knew his friend was not the biggest fan of crossdressing. He had no qualms to do it for Nico, but he tried to reserve it as a 'special treat' for his boyfriend and not an everyday occasion. So if Percy had to go through the embarrassment of wearing panties for naught, not getting laid due to storage cleaning duties, Leo would have to listen to the bitching for at least the rest of the weekend. And Leo had better things to do, really. That aside, he wanted his friends to be happy, so there was that too.

Leo wanted something like that too. Well, for one he wanted a boyfriend. And then he wanted something special between them, something they'd not dare do with or for anyone else. He wanted a boyfriend who could make him to anything with his own famous puppy-eyes, a boyfriend he could do anything with without feeling humiliated and weak. If he'd ever find his own Nico?

"Uhm. Hey, Leo...?"

Blinking a couple of times, Leo looked up. He was already in the gym's storage room. And right in front of him knelt no other but Jason Grace, refilling the nearly flat basketballs. Leo blinked again.

"Jason. What... are you doing here?", asked the Latino surprised and dumped his bag at the door.

"Well, Percy Jackson asked me to help out and do this for him, because he has a date."

Leo blinked _again_ , trying to process, before snorting and rolling his eyes. "Those two dorks. They need to learn how to communicate with each other. Nico came and asked me the same thing."

Now it was Jason's turn to blink. "Two pair of hands are better than one, I guess?"

Leo nodded stiffly and went to work. Once a month, one of the team captains of one of their sports-teams had the duty of cleaning out the storage room. That meant checking the equipment, moping the floor, cleaning the shelves and windows. How Percy had forgotten that it was his turn was not exactly a surprise. Percy and Leo both had a hard time concentrating on stuff and Percy was really bad with dates. And he guessed it made sense that Percy went to ask a fellow captain to switch cleaning duties. And Jason was right, two sets of hands were more useful than one. But the problem was that Leo and Jason didn't talk. Sure, they could spend hours talking at the workshop, but they had never before exchanged even a single word at school. Partially because whenever Leo _wanted_ to talk to Jason, the blonde was surrounded by his little fan club. Even so, they had never really talked about anything important. The weather, the last football game, the classes they shared.

"How... How do you know Percy? I mean, you said Nico asked you to, but in the end it's a favor for Jackson, so...", drawled Jason after an awkwardly long stretch of silence between them.

"He's my best friend", answered Leo, relaxing a little as he was now talking about a topic that made him happy – his best friend. "When I was new at this school, I was being bullied. Percy stood up for me and protected me. We've been inseparable ever since then."

"That's... nice", nodded Jason slowly, frowning a bit.

Now he regretted that he never participated when the other team captains hung out. That he never bothered to get to know Percy Jackson. He sounded like a great guy and if anything, he was at the very least rather amusing. He also regretted that he hadn't been there to save Leo, because then he could have been the knight in shining armor and he and Leo would have known each other far longer and way better. Sure, he knew Leo was good with his hands and hyperactive and loved bikes and cars and running around in the rain (something very adorable Jason had witnessed one afternoon when Leo had run late for the appointment). But he didn't know anything really personal.

"Why... uhm... What about you? I mean, are you friends with Percy too now?", asked Leo.

"Not... really", shrugged Jason with a frown. "We never talked before last week..."

"You're missing out then. Percy is awesome", grinned Leo broadly.

Jason nodded, frown deepening. He didn't want to talk about Percy. He wanted to talk about Leo. But how was he supposed to do that without looking like a weird stalker? He wasn't very subtle.

"Is Percy always so... casual about his sexapades?", inquired Jason and wiggled his nose.

"Huh?", grunted Leo with that adorable and confused expression on his face.

"Well, he said he's... w—wearing panties for his boyfriend so that's why he's looking forward to the date and all", grunted Jason, face dark-red. "I mean, like saying 'boyfriend' alone so casual wouldn't make most people stammer, b—but... uh... the other thing?"

"He has no boundaries", snorted Leo fondly. "You get used to it with time, believe me."

"Not sure if I want to", muttered Jason, turning another shade of red.

"Because gay sex makes you nauseous?", offered Leo with one raised eyebrow.

"N—No!", yelped Jason defensively. "I—I really don't have a problem with gays, or with Percy being gay, or... liking to wear panties, even that's a little weird to me, to be honest, it's just..."

"That you're a prude?", offered Leo next, a mischievous grin on his lips now.

The blush darkened _even more_ and Leo had his answer. Okay, now he was really grateful that he got to help out for Percy's sake, because a blushing Jason was his new favorite thing and goal in life.

"I'm just... I just never did more than holding hands and kissing", mumbled Jason embarrassed, trying to concentrate on the work at hand instead of the giggling Latino. "I know everyone expects the big jock to be a Casanova or something like that, but... but..."

"Hey", whispered Leo and rested a hand on Jason's shoulder. "It's totally okay. I think it's sweet."

"Y—Yeah?", asked Jason hopeful and looked up.

"Yeah. I'm sure Piper appreciates a gentleman", replied Leo with a nod.

Things got a little awkward after that. For a while, they just silently worked. Leo silently brooding about the fact that his crush had a girlfriend while Jason silently cursed that he had a girlfriend. That was interrupted when Leo got thirsty and decided to go and get himself a bottle of water from the vending machine. Just that the door didn't open when he wanted to leave the storage room. Only when he shook it a couple of times did Jason notice something was wrong. Putting the dirty cloth aside, he stood and walked over to test it himself. The door was locked. They exchanged a look.

"Maybe the janitor did his rounds and accidentally locked us in?", supplied Jason and went back to their bags. "Don't worry. I got the keys. I mean, otherwise I wouldn't be able to lock up after us."

Leo nodded and leaned against the door, watching the blonde rummaging through his bag. When Jason started cursing, Leo was pretty sure that something was wrong. The cursing got louder.

"Okay, sailor, what's wrong?", asked the Latino concerned and walked up to the blonde.

"Can't find my keys. Or my phone", muttered Jason, followed by some more curses.

"Which means we're stuck here. Great", sighed Leo and slid down the wall.

"Well, how about we use your phone and call for help?", grunted Jason a bit agitated.

"Yeah, no", sighed Leo and wiggled his nose. "I accidentally set the kitchen on fire last week. Mom always confiscates my phone for a month whenever I set something on fire..."

"Whenever...", echoed Jason and stared at Leo. "H—How often does that happen?!"

"Every once in a while", shrugged Leo and got up again. "Well, time to continue working."

"...How are you so calm about this? It's Friday. We're stuck in an empty school, locked away without phones", huffed Jason, glaring a little bit. "This is a total disaster..."

"You're whiny", noted Leo, not sure if he found it utterly adorable or a bit annoying. "It's Friday evening, so someone is gonna notice that we're missing. I mean, aren't your folks waiting on you?"

"My sister went to some weekend road trip with her archery team, father has some kind of... business trip of something. No idea when he and mother will even be back", replied Jason.

"Oh", whispered Leo softly. "Sorry about that. Well, my big sister is gonna notice when I miss today's _Lion King_ marathon so... We'll be here for a couple hours, at the max. Nys will call around when I don't get home and since my circle of friends is a limited one, she'll reach someone who can tell her about the plans of cleaning out the storage room, so we can as well just continue working."

"Nys?", repeated Jason curiously.

"Nyssa. My older sister. She's in the same class as your sister", supplied Leo.

Jason nodded slowly. "Right. She was over the other day, together with Jackson and di Angelo."

Jason found himself instantly jealous. Leo and his big sister had movie marathon nights? She'd notice if he was late only a few hours? Thalia probably wouldn't notice if he was gone the whole weekend. Then again, their villa was so large, it was easy not to see each other all week.

"You and Thalia aren't that close, huh?", asked Leo curiously, tilting his head.

"No. Not really", shrugged Jason and continued to clean out the shelves. "I'm not close to anyone."

"That can't be true. You and Percy are like the most popular guys at school", argued Leo surprised.

"Just because they swarm me doesn't mean that I'm close to them", whispered Jason, barely audible.

"But... you must be close to Piper, right?", inquired Leo confused.

"Oh. Yeah. Piper's different", replied Jason with a large, happy grin.

"Of course she is. She's your _girlfriend_ ", muttered Leo, now his mood being damped.

Jason's eyes darted between the Latino and the door. They were locked in here, he and the boy he loved. And this was like the perfect opportunity to come clean. He'd never even have the most remote chance at being with Leo if Leo still thought he was straight and had a girlfriend.

"She's more like my sister", whispered Jason cautiously. "Actually, she nearly became my sister."

"Come again?", grunted Leo confused and stared at Jason's back.

"Back, before... our father took us in, my sister and I were living with our mother. She was an actress who played in a movie together with Piper's father. They were dating for a while."

"Huh. That would make dating her kinda awkward", mused Leo with a frown.

"No. You don't get it", grunted Jason frustrated and turned toward Leo with red eyes. "We're more like siblings than lovers. We're not in love! We're just dating because it's... safer for both of us that way. Keeps the peers and admirers away from us both. We're just friends, I swear."

"Hey, it's okay", chuckled Leo amused. "No need to get so agitated. It's none of my business."

"But... I want it to be your business", groaned Jason exasperated, resting his forehead against the wall, hitting it a couple of times. "God, this is so fucking hard. How is this... I... argh..."

"Are you... having a mental meltdown?", asked Leo concerned, stepping up to Jason.

Jason made another strangled sound and turned toward the adorably confused Latino. "I love you."

Leo's eyes widened and he gaped at the blonde, but before he had a chance to process, he had firm lips pressed upon his own. He yelped and whimpered softly into the kiss, before desperately clawing his fingers into Jason's shirt and pulling him closer. Both were flustered by the end of it.

"I... I don't think I can come out yet", whispered Jason against Leo's lips, holding onto the Latino. "But I know I love you and I wanna be with you. If you can just... give me time, please... I promise I'll treat you to the best dates ever and give you chocolate and whatever you want and-"

"I just want you", interrupted Leo softly, clinging onto Jason. "I don't need no fancy dates or stuff, I just need you. Besides, uh, if we're confessing stuff here, I'm kinda rich, so I don't exactly need you to buy me anything expensive. But... I get it, if you can't come out yet. Let's... take it one step at a time, as long as we take those steps together... if... you want that..."

"I'd love to", grinned Jason and stole another kiss.

/break\

Nico was pouting. He had just wanted a date with his Percy, but now there were Frank and Hazel, as well as Reyna and Annabeth (due to a lack of planned family dinner) and Piper McLean. This was a group-outing, not even remotely close to a date. He glared at Percy, who was laughing with Piper.

"Okay, you still owe me an explanation as to _why_ I stole Jason's keys and phone", demanded Piper.

"Well, you care about Jason and you like Leo too, don't you?", chimed Percy mischievously.

"Oh my god, you're setting them up", groaned Frank as realization _finally_ dawned on him.

"...That was slow", snorted Nico and rolled his eyes, slumping a little.

Percy had known that Jason's and Piper's relationship was fake ever since he had found Piper making out with a member of the swim-team one time after training. She had told him the truth and made him promise to tell _no one_. He never thought that secret would actually come in handy at some point. Grinning pleased with himself and the world, Percy leaned against his boyfriend. He watched how Piper fell into a conversation with Hazel, Reyna and Annabeth. It would do that girl good to have social contact aside from Jason. Yes, Percy was very pleased with himself. Now it all was up to Leo, but he trusted his little lion cub to go and get what he wanted.

 _~*~ The End ~*~_


End file.
